Ink in the Blood

By Shayne Troxler

Ink remembers. Ink hungers. Ink obeys.

When apprentice scribe Mote is sent across the shires to deliver a vial of rare ink, he expects nothing more than long roads and longer silences. But when he arrives to find the High Scribe dead, the ink becomes a burden he never meant to carry. One slip of a bone quill drives a drop beneath his skin, and the change begins.

At first, it feels like luck. A wish answered too neatly. A door that yields when it shouldn't. But with every new line of ink carved into his flesh, Mote discovers the truth behind the old fireside tales: this ink was never meant for paper.

Hunted by guild scribes, shadowed by those who recognise the mark blooming beneath his sleeves, and guided only by half-remembered stories of a trickster spirit, Mote must walk the thin line between quiet wants and dangerous power. Every new mark sharpens the magic-and erodes a little more of the boy he used to be.

When the ink offers him what he desires most, Aren must choose whether to stop before it consumes him, or write a fate he cannot erase.

Perfect for readers who love:

- Quiet, atmospheric magic

- Road-worn heroes and long journeys

- Folklore, whispered myths, and dangerous bargains

- Character-driven fantasy in the style of Rothfuss and Hobb

The first mark is a blessing.

Every mark after that is a bargain.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0G42V2TZH
• ISBN13: 9798276144078
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 572 Pages
• Weight: 2.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.0" x 10.0"